Dweller Festival
BY Cameron Cook
NYC festival Dweller honours the Black roots of electronic music, whilst showcasing the diversity and range of Black creativity today.
Chosen for: Preserving Culture and Driving Diversity.
Any genre of electronic music should be appreciated alongside the recognition of its Black roots: from techno to house to EDM, virtually every dancefloor and club night on Earth owes a debt to Black culture. Started by Discwoman co-founder Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson, Dweller Festival began in February 2019 as six days of events at Brooklyn’s legendary Bossa Nova Civic Club, intended to shine a light on both the history and the current wave of Black electronic music by showcasing acts that are often overlooked for festival line-ups in comparison to their white counterparts. In the intervening years, Dweller has established itself as not just a champion of these artists, but as being at the forefront of a veritable movement of equity within the electronic scene.
In keeping with that spirit of equity, many of Dweller’s shows are free and ticketed events within the festival are sold individually. Since the festival is still so young, its format remains modular (the 2021 programme was a one-off summer event) with the 2022 edition taking on the theme of intergenerational connections in Black electronic music. The events themselves – packed warehouses full of sweaty bodies, dancing to some of the most innovative DJs currently around – are more than your typical club fare; it’s a true celebration and appreciation of what it means to be Black and delves into the community’s musical past, present and future.
While acts for the 2023 festival are yet to be announced, past editions have included the likes of DJ Swisha, LSDXOXO, BEARCAT, Shyboi, TYGAPAW and Julianna Huxtable, so trust that this year will again see Dweller stake its place as one of the most influential, and vital, platforms in electronic music.
Dweller Festival takes place in New York City on 22-26 February 2023.
